Feed Zone Recipe: Roasted Beets And Greens

By Biju Thomas, Published Sep. 4, 2012

Dr. Allen Lim is a sports physiologist who has worked with the biggest riders in professional cycling. One of his most influential contributions to the sport has been changing how the traditionally pasta-fueled peloton thinks about food.

Lim and professional chef Biju Thomas tested hundreds of recipes with Tour de France cyclists to find out what worked: what was easy to make, delicious to eat, and friendly to high performance. They share their favorite dishes in The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes, now available from VeloPress.

As we near the fall marathon season, Competitor is pleased to release some favorite recipes to help you fuel your morning runs, recover from each workout, and fuel up for tomorrow. Check back every Tuesday for a new healthy, delicious and useful recipe.

Servings: 2

Time: 5 minutes

We hope that by now we have convinced you of the value of getting more beets into your diet. If you don’t have roasted beets cooked and ready, don’t hesitate to prepare them in the microwave or use canned beets. Whenever using canned beets, get the best and lowest-sodium ones you can find, drain, and use just after opening.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

juice of ½ of lemon

1 cup cooked beets, cut into chunks

1 cup fresh spinach leaves or other dark greens

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

pita bread

grated parmesan or crumbled goat cheese

poached egg

In a medium serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, mustard, and lemon juice. Gently fold in beets and spinach.

Add salt and pepper to taste, along with desired amount of parmesan or goat cheese, if using.

To prepare this as a warm salad, heat the beets in a sauté pan and then cook the spinach until it becomes slightly wilted but is still a vibrant green color.

This recipe from The Feed Zone Cookbook used with permission of VeloPress. The Feed Zone Cookbook features 160 athlete-friendly recipes that are simple, delicious, and ready to go. For more sample recipes, please visit www.feedzonecookbook.com.